St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1887-12-27
THE CORAL GIRL OF CAPRI.

\ sweeping storm of warm rain, a
huge leaden cloud across the blue
height of the sky above the Neapolitan
sea, one fash of lightning there! 1t
was over, and the sun reigned supreme
again.
And the wild giant of wind which
had dashed the rain into the faces of
the travellers. went on his way through
the passes of the islands and carried the
huriy-burly of his thunder and light
ming and rain past Amalfi, past the
lovely vine-clad heights. past SalernO,
down TO the feYer-haunted marshes of
old Postum.
With the fresh burst of sun the score
of v0yagerS on board the San Carlo
shook their beSplaShed selves and threw
| off their mackint0sheS.
The storm was over, no one was
washed overheard, no leak was sprung
Madonna is good.
The San Carlo was sailing on bravely
in the sun. keeping we'll out from the
shore, for it was known that her pas
sengers were all bound for the sight of
the Blue GrottO before going into Capri
| town.
Are those the boats to which we are
expected to trust Ourselves@ a girl
u.
strings at the throat of her mackin-
tOsh.
"They are" her brother answered, a
boy of the age that delights in teasing.
Those c0ckleshells, i'll such sea as
| thiS?" Mona still questioned.
"Wait till you see them-they'll see
you and me out"
They won't see me in one, know"
"All right"
"You are duffer, Nona." An elder
brother said this. These three of the
Morrises were out for the day, apart
from the main body of father and
| mother and two elder sisters. All had
wintered in Rome, not because any one
of the party suffered from i'll health or
from need of any sort whatever. MIR.
Morris was simply rlch man, who' lot
a year, had left his place in Suffolk, and
VINO, since the past October, had been
out of England.
Here was May. They had come down
from Sorrento; they were flying hither
and thither: the heat was now telling
them that they must go north, or fever
would be down upon them. 1t was the
last week; the boys were always out at
sea: now, on this morning of occasional
rain and wind, they, with Mona, had
come out to see the grOttos of Capri.
Thanks" she answered to that &C
cusatiUn of Lewis. IF a dislike to
premature drowning makes one duffer,
then I'm a duffer. l decline to go in
one of those black wObbling things. l
suppose the people here are half saw
age-primitive creatures that are inter
| esting,' as Miss YOungman would say"
Every primitive; don't they know
what's what? They'll do yOu," Noel
said.
The steamer pulled on, and the shoal
of black boats came out from the shore,
so void to ali appearance of any caves
or grottO that Mona Morris, in her Sc
cret self, felt superior to any travellers
story of wonderment.
Matter-Of-fact commonplace was the
master of the hour. The black boats
rocked ominousIy: but they were no
cockleshells, but deep, low-lying craft,
which could and would weather many
rough sea.
Pietro. the man the Morris lads had
employed before. saw them, and in a
volley of Italian, beyond NOna'S COM
prehension, declared his devotion to the
signori. and his willingness to carry
them into the Blue GrOtto for pure love
of Madonna.
THAT is grand! And we will save
our money. There are three of us to-
day, and three is the number each boat
carries"
Three only in that great tub?" Mona
cried. No one answered her.
What bad days work for you, Pie
tro?' Lewis said with a laugh ,as he
went down the shaky ladder from the
San Carlo to the Sirena.
PietrO's eyes CLEANED, and his brown
handsome face was alight as if he were
the very incarnation of happiness.
"EccO!; He steaded his boat and put
out his hand for Mona at the same
time. mo, signor, it is the good day,
the day of all days if the signOrina sOr-
ella comes; the signOrina is generous"
His face was the picture Of infinite trust
and glee.
as the boat safe?"
"Signorinar' Pietro's arms went up
as if he would invoke the whole of
Olympus. Then with an air of misera-
BILE detection, this primitive" actor
went on. The poor Sirena, since the
| day she was built, she has never heard
such a cruel word! Would she not
carry the signorina safely to-to-En-
gland-tO the end of the world?"
''That'S just where / thought she
might be taking me-" but Mona said
this under her breath to Noel.
Where is the grotto? Round the
corner?" Mona asked.
mo. no, SignOrina. The signorina
sees a little black arch, low arch on
the crest of the waves; there! Now we
are high up we will see it wellI" The
sirena here danced in what looked like
a dangerous frolic to the top of huge
| swelling wave.
That hole! We go in there?"
Isl, 81. When / shout down. then
| all lie down fat in there" Pietro here
| pointed to the deep hollow of the boat.
"And in a moment, the sireno will be
an angel and will fly. fly into the beau
| tiful blue water of the Grotto AZurro."
| Then it is true?" Mona said. "And
| you boys have not been examining me?"
Vile suggestion!" Noel exclaimed.
True as gospel, dear"
Pietro pulled hard--one need to pull
| hard in that sea.
| After bit Lewis said:
''Made your fortune since Monday,
eh?"
"Signor!" deprecatingly.
"N0? Then how is Carlotta?
"Tcha!" in an angry burst, and with
blazing eyes. "CarlOtta is--pahl'
THAT'S it's it."
''Will ] ever again trust woman?
! No, Signor." Pietro here might have
been the dryest philosopher to jugde by
the melancholy gravity of his counte-
nance. ''SignOr, what woman loves is
-gold!'
Il dare say" Lewis said. Being just
twenty-three, no doubt he felt himself a
competent Judge. "And you have not
enough of it for her. Who has?"
.'lt is none other than that Luigi Id
yane. he, the swimmer, the man who
i all the signori pay well, because it is
he, and he alone, who can pose like the
marble, who flashes like marble and
| like light in the sparkling atmosphere
of thegrotto?' Pietro ground his teeth.
Will not kill him? He, to stand be-
! fore me-beforeme, Pietro FuscOr'
sWell, I'll give not one soldo-"
el"--Pietro listened not = "she